Electrical wire conduits utilizing heat shrinkable articles are common in the art. When the exit of an electrical wire conduit which has only a single electrical wire in it is to be closed, a heat shrinkable tube or outer sleeve can be used successfully to close that exit. When two electrical wires are exiting from an outer sleeve, however, the heat shrinkable outer sleeve is incapable of closing the exit entirely. Thus, the prior art discloses numerous techniques to close such gaps in these exits. One method is to wrap each exiting electrical wire with some sort of a mastic sealing compound in sufficient quantity as to fill any gaps created by the exiting wires as they emerge from the opened end of the heat shrinkable sleeve. Another method, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,298,415, is the use of a three-prong clip positioned at the branch of these exiting wires. A third method, as disclosed in German Offenlegungsschrift No. 24 13 623, is the use of a shaped, non-metallic spacer that is inserted between the exiting wires.
These prior art techniques contain inherent and obvious disadvantages. The three-prong clip, generally made of metallic material, enhances the likelihood of overheating during the shrinking operation. Such overheating either damages the outer sleeve or causes the clip to penetrate the sleeve, introducing the possibility of corrosion when the entire conduit is buried in moist ground or immersed in water. Moreover, closure by mechanical means cannot possibly and effectively prevent the entry of corrosive elements such as moisture into the cable. The shaped, non-metallic spacer requires accurate sizing in order for it to fit between the exiting wires. Such sizing is both expensive and time consuming.